Joel Freeland ready to do the little things to earn playing time with Blazers

Bruce Ely/The OregonianJoel Freeland averaged 14.6 points and 6.6 rebounds in five games in the Olympics for Great Britain.

TUALATIN -- When Joel Freeland was coming up in basketball, he had two very different players he considered role models.

"Dirk Nowitzki was a great player that I always really looked up to, and I've always loved the game of Dwight Howard and the way he plays, how powerful he is, how physical he is," said Freeland, who is beginning his rookie season with the Trail Blazers.

The 6-foot-11 Freeland is from England and has played professionally in Spain the past six seasons, so his admiration of Nowitzki -- a German who is considered the greatest European player in NBA history -- is no surprise. But Freeland's fondness of the physical Howard is a sign that he does not fit the stereotype of a European big man -- that of a contact-averse player who prefers to float on the perimeter.

"I can shoot a mid-ranger jumper, but I like to play physical, I like to mix it up," said Freeland, who is listed at 232 pounds but says he's closer to 250. "I'm not someone to shy away from the physical side of the game. Never."

Although coach Terry Stotts has not yet established a rotation, it seems likely there will be a spot in it for Freeland given Portland's dearth of big men. The Blazers list only one player as a true center, rookie Meyers Leonard. Freeland and returnee J.J. Hickson should have opportunities for playing time at center or as the primary backup to All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge.

Freeland, 25, believes that to earn playing time, he needs to do all the little things that help a team.

"In my mind, it's going to be doing all the dirty work -- getting rebounds, running the floor, getting people open for shots, setting good screens and taking an open shot if I have it," Freeland said.

After a month of open gyms and three days of training camp, Freeland has made a good impression.

"A real solid four man, a good backup, real physical," Aldridge said. "Has a good post game down low, can be a threat down low. He's good."

Added Stotts: "He's a much better player than I was expecting. I got to see him play in the Olympics and watching video, but he's more athletic than I thought. He shoots it better than I thought he would. He's real smart, he works hard, he's real vocal on defense."

After the Olympics, Freeland took three weeks away from basketball and worked on his strength and conditioning, then came to Portland in September to get a jump on training camp. He said the transition to living in the United States has been far easier than the one he made in 2006.

"There's not too much of a cultural change. The place is very similar to where I grew up. It rains a lot, I grew up in a place that rains a lot," said Freeland, who hails from Farnham, southwest of London. "Going from England to Spain ... was a bit of a culture shock. Coming here, I'm kind of used to it. You know how America is -- America is on TV all the time. I feel like I've lived in America."

When Freeland signed with the Blazers, general manager Neil Olshey compared him to Nick Collison, the Oklahoma City big man who is known to do a lot of the intangible things Freeland wants to do. Stotts said he can see the comparison, but added that Freeland has some work to do to really live up to it.

"I love the way Nick Collison plays defensively," Stotts said. "The one thing for Joel is to learn the NBA game at the defensive end. Nick is such a smart player and does so many things at the defensive end. For most young players and international players coming in, learning NBA defense is probably more of a challenge."

Stotts, who coached Nowitzki the past four seasons as an assistant with the Mavericks and also played professionally in Europe, is not a fan of the soft Euro stereotype. And he definitely does not think it applies to Freeland.

"I hate to stereotype," Stotts said. "I was with Dirk, and I thought that was a bogus stereotype because I know how much of a pounding that he took. I think it's unfair to characterize a lot of players in that mode. Joel's a banger, and he doesn't shy away from contact."